Admiration Abounds

I adore Eloisa James. She's such a lovely person, friendly, generous, willing to share her knowledge with her fans on an individual basis. She's a fabulous and very witty writer. She is a savvy defender of the romance genre, amazingly able to successfully balance life in the academic world as a professor with that of a romance writer, a feat that I heretofore thought was impossible.

The literary elite are notoriously narrow-minded. I don't blame Eloisa for staying in the closet for so long. After all, she writes romance. I really can't think of any genre that is as despised as romance. If she had written mysteries, I think her colleagues would have been fine with it. Westerns, okay. Even graphic novels they might not have pooh-poohed. But "bodice rippers"? Uh-uh. No way. However, she managed to come out grandly.

I was browsing the Barnes and Noble website and happened upon an article of hers. It's the latest example of how she strives to educate the public on the literary value of the romance genre.

I applaud you, Eloisa. Thank you for all you do for the sake of the genre.

(Incidentally, one of my very first blog entries was about Eloisa.)

Not Bowled Over

So, for the first time, Nora is not amazing me. I'm reading Dance of the Gods, the second in her Circle Trilogy, and am not as enthralled as I usually am with her writing. I'm thinking it must be me. Lord knows the woman can write a fantastic book (or 100+ books!) I think I've just become too familiar at last with her. The characters feel very familiar, just put into a different plot with some magical powers and an alternate world.

Anyone else out there less than thrilled by this series?